Glenn Murray-Prior, founder of ACTION CULTURE, an adventure travel agency, agreed. “Digital devices can be highly addicting and, therefore, they cause people to lose their sense of here-and-now mindfulness.” “Taking a digital detox will help you focus more on your relationships - it’ll improve your eye contact and listening skills, and help you spend more time in the present moment,” said Dr. But when phones and tech devices are not in the picture, it’s a good way to practice being present. It’s frustrating when you’re trying to talk to someone, but their phone is taking precedence. It’ll help you be more present with others

Flores and two travel experts weighed in on the benefits of taking a digital detox. “Think of the break as a type of cognitive re-centering, where you consciously choose a few days (or weeks) to focus more on your offline reality.”

Flores, clinical psychologist and author of Facehooked: How Facebook Affects Our Emotions, Relationships, and Lives, said in an email. So, what about you? Could you take a break from your phone and other digital devices, even for an hour or two? “In today’s overly connected digital world, taking a break from being online, particularly from social media platforms, is important to one’s emotional well-being,” Dr. They surveyed 2,032 adults aged 18-to-54 and 93 percent of those planning to travel for leisure want to make time to disconnect from tech, with 88 percent stating they want a “digital detox” when they travel. To that point, the Travel Channel recently did a study and found that, when globetrotting, most Americans want a break from technology.

Facehooked by Suzana E. Flores